Most years, anniversary observances of events large and small click by with numbing regularity.

But when the calendar requires consideration of the year 1968, milestone dates arrive sometimes with a bang, sometimes with a whimper, frequently with an unresolved, ongoing argument as Americans try to come to grips 50 years later with the rapid-fire chaos that was, in the words of one author, "the year that rocked the world."

The front lines of 1968 were assassinations, political upheaval, a generation gap, an unpopular war, an unpopular president and political and social unrest both domestic and foreign.

In the world of sports, events were more celebratory — a Game of the Century, a Year of the Pitcher, an indoor All-Star Game, an odd-looking football formation, the fastest man in the world, a landmark basketball championship.